Authentic India

Deep in Thought

As a photographer, India has been on my bucket list for so long. Known for its deep lustrous colors and the mass of people and culture, I was counting down the days when we booked our tickets in September (We found round trip tickets from NYC for $520 with Air China!)

When we landed in Delhi, India we jumped on the Delhi airport metro express and were in the city center in under 30 minutes. We stayed with a friend in the central area and after quickly dropping our bags I headed out immediately to start capturing this amazing place.

We booked an Old Delhi 3-hour walking tour that takes you into the heart of the old city(We paid only $24) . You'll stroll with your guide through the bustling lanes of Chandni Chowk bazaar and visit Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India. You also sample some favorite street food dishes and hop on a rickshaw for a short ride to the spice market. Includes travel by metro and rickshaw, snacks, guide, and hotel pickup and drop-off. www.viator.com/tours/New-Delhi

The people of Delhi, India count amongst the most hospitable people in the world. Just like the rest of India, Delhi people treat their guests and visitors of the country with great honour and respect. Coming from different parts of the country as well as the world. People of Delhi are multi-linguistic and multicultural. You will see Hindus going to the gurdwaras of the Sikhs. Sikhs going to the dargahs of the Muslims and so on. I was shocked by how open the locals of Delhi were to letting me shoot them. Most of them didn't care and simply ignored me while I clicked away.

Woman washing hands and feet

I learned that before entering a temple or house you should wash your feet. Most temples have a water source in front and many are built adjacent to a water body such as a river. It is considered a great sin to enter into a temple without washing feet or wearing your shoes.

The culture believes that one should pray with a clean mind and body. People touch the entrance floor with their forehead or hands by bowing down to the earth to express their respect towards the place. So before entering into any sacred place they purify by washing their hands and feet. This is considered basic etiquette and originates from ancient India. India is filled with cultural norms as well as cultural taboos. My recommendation is to read up on what is considered rude or insulting and vice versa. the results may shock you however I've always found it fundamentally important to adapt to whatever culture you are immersing yourself in.

Preparing food for tonights dinner

The khajuri broom

A Lost art of India is the making of the Khajuri broom. Indian broom makers make about 300 brooms a day by using natural recycling material.

Some aspects of Delhi, such as poverty, beggars, will seriously shock you. It is very poverty stricken with starving children, women and elderly everywhere and made us quite sad. We gave some coins to some as we passed but be careful. When someone sees you give notes or coins to one person the others will swarm you. Pickpocketing is also very common so be cautious.

You will also see a lot of locals throwing trash literally everywhere, so expect to see some dirty sidewalks and streets. I wish there was a way to clean up Delhi because it needs some serious work. Don’t let these things destroy your Delhi experience, so keep your mind open to accept the differences.

Elderly man waiting

In India most of the elderly are cared for by their children and grandchildren. It is a huge part of their culture to take care of the generations that came before you.

Monkey crawling on the wires

Spend about five minutes in New Delhi and you'll probably meet a monkey hanging above the entrance to a nicotine shop or just chilling on a bus stop. Amusing for a tourist, sure, but it's become an increasingly worrying sight for locals.

Over the last 20 years, monkeys have moved into the middle of a difficult Venn diagram of animal welfare, economic resources, and political clout. At last count, there were 50 million monkeys in India. So imagine if the entire population of England uprooted and moved to India, wreaking havoc. The monkeys in India are quite defiant and are known to throw things at passerby-ers or break into peoples residences, cars and offices. Be careful around these bold creatures. Luckily we were just treated with cute wide-eyed gazes.